THE Rubik's cube world record holder has contacted Dan to commiserate him on his latest Dan Dares failure.

Two weeks ago our very own daredevil reporter failed to get within three minutes of the world record time for solving a Rubik's cube.

But little did Dan know that the great man himself, Erik Akkersdijk from Holland, had been watching his attempt on News Shopper's website.

Mr Akkersdijk, who can solve a cube in 7.08secs, wrote to Dan saying: "Some lubrication in your cube might've helped to not hurt your wrists. Silicon spray usually does the trick.

"It was fun to watch and probably even more fun for non-cubists. Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions."

To watch Dan fail his Rubik's challenge and read his blog, visit newsshopper.co.uk/news/features/dandares